All four say the planned cutbacks of Saturday deliveries could hurt Maine's rural economy and worsen the U.S. Postal Serivce's financial woes.

Members of Maine's congressional delegation are expressing dismay following the U.S. Postal Service's announcement today that it plans to end Saturday delivery for all mail, except packages. The USPS says it intends to implement the new policy in August.

Maine Sen. Susan Collins has long urged the postal service not to take such a step. Collins co-authored a bill that would have prohibited the postal service from dropping Saturday deliveries for at least two years.

"The Postal Service's decision to eliminate Saturday delivery is inconsistent with current law and threatens to further jeopardize its customer base," Collins says in a statement.

Her colleague, Sen. Angus King, says the move "could have a significant detrimental impact on the regular delivery of items that are vital to Mainers and small businesses throughout the state." In a statement, King says a better alternative would be Sen. Collins' bill, which would have required the postal service to cut internal costs before ending Saturday deliveries.

Maine's two U.S. House representatives, Michael Michaud and Chellie Pingree, have written to House leaders urging them to take "immediate legislative action" to alleviate the postal service's financial problems. "This unnecessary action could disproportionately affect rural communities that depend on reliable and timely mail delivery," the two write.